WHO Cody J. Martin with the Ohio Weather Band and Austin Craig.WHEN Saturday, 7:30 p.m.WHERE The Auricle, 601 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton.TICKETS $7 at the door.NOTE Copies of Martin's CD will be available at the show for $10. For more details, visit www.codyjmartinmusic.com.

When listening to Cody J. Martin's new album of mature and well-crafted original songs, it is hard to remember he is just 21. Influenced by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and others, Martin already has developed a distinctive style of his own, with vigorous singing, unpredictable melodies, nimble finger-picking and lyrics rich with imagery and emotion. His music is genuine and inspired.

Martin, a 2010 Tuslaw High School graduate who works by day at a warehouse, will celebrate the release of his 12-song solo debut, titled "Somewhere You'd Rather Be," with a concert Saturday night at The Auricle in downtown Canton.

Q. Congratulations on your first solo record. You must be excited.

A. "I'm really proud of it. It's the first thing I've ever been able to wrap in cellophane."

Q. You don't write simple verse-chorus-verse songs.

There are a lot of bends in the melodies and the lyrics tend to come non-stop.

A. "Sometimes the hardest part is catching my breath. There's a lot of words."

Q. When you are writing songs, is it usually the melody first or the lyrics?

A. "Since I started out as a guitar player, I write the bulk on guitar first, and the words separately, then I try to fit them together."

Q. One of my favorites on the album is "Lies of the Precious Kind," with that haunting line "I will die for you tomorrow only if you swear to die for me today." What is that song about exactly?

A. "It's about having a pre-conceived knowledge that you're going to cop out of a romantic involvement. About having someone in the palm of your hand and clenching your fist."

Q. Another line of yours that sticks with me is, "for tonight I failed to win your heart, but tomorrow is a brand new day" (from "Tomorrow Is a Brand New Day"). Good to hear some optimism there, Cody.

A. "On a record full of somewhat callous, confrontational songs, this is the one that kind of keeps you comfortable, I suppose. It's simple and self-explanatory. Very hope-filled.

Q. Your finger-picking is impressive throughout the record. How did you learn to play guitar that way?

A. "I just picked it up from learning old Bob Dylan songs, like "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright."

Q. What were you going for sound-wise on the album?

A. "I wanted a stripped-down sound with not many bells and whistles. Stick to traditional instruments. Some are complete live-performance takes. John (Finley, co-producer) and I worked really hard to achieve a very natural-sounding recording. I wanted it to be honest to how I sound live."

Q. Where did you record?

A. "We did a lot at friends' houses. We went around and checked rooms. We did some at my grandmother's house. We recorded organ at Ron Flack's (RealGrey studio), some piano at Kopperhead, but we didn't do much studio."

Page 2 of 2 - Q. So it was a low-budget project?

A. "The real costs were buying microphones, which John and I went in on, the mastering and ordering the actual discs. We recorded through Pro Tools (software) on a buddy's laptop."

Q. You played electric guitar in a couple of rock bands (Creation in Chaos and Blackwater Union, both Repository Battle of the Band finalists) before going solo acoustic. How did you make the transition?

A. "After Creation dissolved, I started writing songs as practice more or less. I wrote a lot of songs that I never played out until I found my style. I kinda eased into performing at open mics, then I started playing at Arabica (now Karma Cafe), doing covers of Bob Dylan and Elliot Smith.

Q. Can you tell me about Dylan and other musicians you admire?

A. "I'm a big Dylan fan, especially from 'Bringing It All Back Home' in '62 up to about '76. I like Tom Waits for his lyrical style and weird instrumentation. Elliot Smith wrote some incredible stuff. Tallest Man on Earth is a Swedish folk artist I've seen twice and met; I adopted finger-picking from him. Lately I've been listening to the 'Anthology of American Folk Music,' which is a box set of music by Appalachians and old blues musicians taken from old 78s."

Q. When and how did you start playing guitar?

A. "Guitar bit me pretty hard. I used to draw a lot, that's the only other artistic thing I've done. It started in '05 when a friend came over to spend the night and he brought an electric guitar and that got me interested. My dad had an acoustic guitar and I just took to it right away. Then I got an electric guitar for Christmas the next year."

Q. I've seen you perform in a variety of local settings, and you always seem focused and intense regardless of the audience.

A. "Since it's just me up there, I get into it. You kind of have to. I like making eye contact. Because it's acoustic, I want it to be personal."